Morning Glory Studio

simply a moment | 15 september 2017 ... OHO*

 

 

9:15 am: Finishing up watching the September Story presentation on TIME! There goes the timer...trust I'll get a few photos...Looks like it'll be a bright, sunshiny day: sky's blue; oh - a few birds just flew over the deck...and rather close to the windows...I just sneezed...wonder why? Heaven forbid I should have a cold coming...Oh No! Don't want that! Pondering today's agenda: the usual; perhaps a walk to Zeke's or drive to new shopping center off South Dakota...I could exchange my shoes...if they have the size I prefer...

 

And thus the moment captured. I finished watching the Story presentation, ate breakfast and headed upstairs to my sewing studio ... to actually stitch a block, using the sewing machine. Making the block - not going the way I'd anticipated...not sure if it's I or the instructions...Norman announces he's going to take some shirts to the laundry and I inquire where? The laundry he used is no longer and he recalled one in a shopping mall near where I was planning to go, later...so, I changed plans and off we went. T'is a good thing because - O HO,  the laundry no longer existed. We went on to the mall, I was able to exchange my shoes and we returned home. I resumed stitching the quilt block and Norman settled in front of his computer.

 

Yay!  The block is done. OHO! The block is 2 inches - all four sides - too small! Obviously, I made an error in measuring the pieces. Oh well. c'est la vie...I can fix by adding an outside border - 2.50 inches wide, please! And that's what I will do. I may - and then again, I may not -  change the center block to match the borders...no one will know on a galloping horse, as my mom would say! 

Any OHO moments in your day?

Cheers~

 

*OHO: an exclamation expressing surprise...

 

simply a moment | 15 august 2017...

          8:15 am  @ great  room table  

Listening , on my iPad, to the August Ali Edwards DETAILS StoryKit introduction...

Hearing the sound of the rain on the skylights...

Feeling my tummy growl and the  ceiling fan above, stirring the air...

Seeing on this grey day:

• an occasional leaf spiral to the ground and  
• Smoke (the cat) running from the sound of the garbage collection truck
• the vivid rosy red flowers of a neighbor's crepe myrtle 

Taking photos of the lovely crepe myrtle...

Reading a text message from Jason, rescheduling today's yard work...we agree we'll try again Thursday and keep our fingers crossed that it doesn't rain...

Writing ideas and jotting down notes  as they're inspired by watching the Story Kit presentation...

Feeling deep in my soul how grateful I am for this, the 15th of the month and the practice of engaging in two of my favorite activities...

 

Simply*A*Moment is the time on the 15th of each month when I stop, pause to document the moments: what I see, hear, smell, touch, feel, remember. 

simply a moment | 15 july 2017...

 

 7:15 am    So quiet. So peaceful. So treasured...

Ceiling fan swirls.  'Frig hums. Pen scritches as my  hand moves across the page. Quiet. I look out - the sky is bright, streaks of white, blue...over my right shoulder, the sun shines. In the distance, I hear a siren, faint. I pause to capture the moment via camera - always tricky. The photo is "good enough." I feel flush - and grab my water - cooler but needing to be refreshed, too.

Ah, the sanctity of the moment is precious, so welcomed...

My pen's rapidly running out of ink - I look on my bookcart and find my fountain pen. Won't do; not satisfied with the nib. NTS: Is it too late to return? Check email. Answer: No...five days left! I try one of my Japanese fine line drawing pens - right color. Next, I try a LePen - writes best vertically; guess the felt tip is pretty much gone.  Occasionally, I look out the window:  evidence of a breeze stirring, caressing the leaves on this tree.

All is quiet ...

The A/C  just switched on and is gently blowing the alstroemeria on the table; these aren't lasting as long. No doubt, the weather. I sigh, look out, around - the scene so familiar and comforting - a flock of birds fly through my vista and gather to go south - Canadian Geese occasionally but I wonder, do they still migrate ? Seems not - global warming. No such thing! Hah! I think so! No butterflies? Preying Mantis? I see neither. Too soon for summer's sound of crickets? Or have they abandoned the city?

All is quiet, still...

Time in a few seconds to replenish my tea and water; go upstairs to get another Le Pen...birds cavort on the roof of my neighbor's tool shed, the deck rails. The apartment building under construction on the Avenue is reaching its zenith - soon the roof. No activity today - yet. 

7:45 am    So quiet. So peaceful. So treasured...

 

 

 Simply*A*Moment is the time on the 15th of each month when I stop, pause to document the moments: what I see, hear, smell, touch, feel, remember. 

simply a moment | 15 june 2017...

thursday 15 june 2017        circa 6:31 am       

A page from my journal:

            I sit down at the table! Oops, I start writing with my Tombow - the phone rings. Who might that be at this early hour? Quickly, I get up to answer - yes, it's the landline - and see it's my friend Pat. Quizzical? Oh yes, she must have heard me thinking about her for she leaves this weekend for Aruba. I answer the phone and query: "Did you hear me thinking about you?"  She sez: "I didn't want you to think I'd fallen off the face of the earth and ..." We chat for a few minutes - she's waiting for the coffee to brew. I, my tea to cool - which reminds me that  I'm thinking of resuming coffee in the AM and I myst remember to send Hilary an email, re: her coffee pot; coffee grinder; and coffee beans. I don't recall that Zeke's sells brewers. Must inquire the next time I go...maybe tomorrow for Journal Club and another Bingo square...Oh, the many, many years I drank coffee - I recall when I first began so well...NTS: another story for AMAZe (my acronym for my About Me: A-Z  project).

After I sat down, tea brewed, I thought about this morning routine - MSQT - that has been mine for nearly, if not, two decades and counting- begun when I realized I needed some time for moi - ME TIME. A busy work schedule characterized by long work days, out of the house early, often dark early; late evening meetings or classes to teach, continuing with old and beginning with the new: more staff to supervise, understand, assist, support. Precious little time and energy for me to read, relax, reflect, refresh, renew. So, I carved out time in the early morning, when the world was still quiet, just awakening.  

Then, in the living room for the addition wasn't built...and I don't recall that I sat on the back porch -which became the Great Room and new kitchen. There, as now, I sat surrounded by books, paper, pens to capture my thoughts, ideas; making lists; nurturing and understanding my feelings; taking care of me. Not knowing then, of course, what I now know. Never contemplating that "in the future," I'd be sitting not on the back porch or the front living room but at a table:

• looking out at a green vista and today, grey skies;
• hearing birdsong and early morning traffic both on the ground and in the sky - the distant roar of a jet plane taking off at National Airport and a metro train, just blocks away, cruising into the station;
• giving thanks for the day and cooler temperatures. 

I stop writing to take another sip of tea and check the weather: mostly cloudy and mainly dry; less humid. High 85 degrees. Very tolerable, considering...

Time for a second cuppa tea. Think I'll read a while...soon it'll be time to take a walk and get on with my day.

 

 Simply*A*Moment is the time on the 15th of each month when I stop, pause to document the moments: what I see, hear, smell, touch, feel, remember. 

simply a moment | mon 15 may 2017

 

sunrise ~ mon 15 may 2017

           "Ahh, my first sip o' tea: soothing; warm; comforting. I might have stayed in bed a tad longer this morning but I'd set my mental clock to awaken before 5:15 am this morning - today is Simply A Moment.*  Still cool enough for a lap robe across my knees. I dreamed last night/this morning? tho' I know not what ~ my dreams are neither memorable nor very frequent - at least that I am aware of and/or recall.  I don't recall the dream...I just know I did.

As friend Mary says: "it is dark early" though I see a glimpse of sunrise on the horizon. Birds chirp and a lone one sits on a wire - oops, it's flown away. There is a breeze; I can see in the movement of the trees, even in the dark shadows for sunrise is still minutes away. Looking at the weather forecast, a gorgeous bright sunny day is in the offing - including a high of 73 degrees...and oh no, looking ahead to Wed/Thurs: 93 and 92 degrees forecast. Yuk! Too soon! I feel my face frowning.

It is so quiet - tho' the ambient sounds are so familiar: furnace just kicked off. I reach for my water and make a mental note to buy lemons and fixins for chicken summer salad ala Panera style: with manadarin orange slices; pineapple chunks; blueberries and strawberries; topped with poppy seed dressing - yum! Maybe I'll add a bit of avocado for a different texture, too. Corn chowder soup. Wonder if the local Giant carries that Panera soup...glad that Panera now sells soups and breads in grocery stores. Saw Polaris. Norman's medical appointment rescheduled; Cissy's - on! When?

 I am delighted with my jade - it's growing, growing. Loving the spot and the morning sunlight. 

This week is relatively empty; two stitchin' with friends on the calendar, Thursday and Sunday; need to buy some get well cards and order flowers and a gift card. 

5:55 am ~ Sun's rising. I see it out of the corner of my eye  through the window over the sink. Time to replenish my tea and shift gears for a while..."

Cheers~

Simply*A*Moment is the time on the 15th of each month when I stop, pause to document the moments: what I see, hear, smell, touch, feel, remember. This month's words are from my journal entry.

 

simply a moment |15 april 2017

 

Simply a Moment ~ Saturday, April 15, 2017

            "On my way home, walking; 4:30 pm.   4076 steps so far.  In the distance, I hear Porch Fest taking place over on Rhode Island Ave. A dog barking.  Sirens - an  ambulance , no doubt; the Metro train.  All around there are azaleas. People are moving in and it  looks like some people are moving out. A squirrel scampers across the sidewalk;  up and down the street, birds chirp. The sky is cloudy;  patches of blue overhead.  

Another siren; this time I think it might be a fire engine - flashing red lights ahead.  I see a nice deck with a little rug over hanging out the back door; a bicyclist rides by. A man and his son are washing the car - here comes the fire engine.  The little kid has on sunglasses  tho' the sun is behind the clouds.  I walk towards where the fire engine is stopped.  I wonder if there is a fire or a 911 life  emergency.  The azaleas are gorgeous and so are the dogwood.  

I think I'm just going to keep walking towards where the fire engines are - probably by the time I get there they will have moved; I see there's an ambulance there, too. I've walked down the street before I hear a dog barking -  oh barking dogs who needs them? Too bad you can't muzzle them. Woof Woof Woof.  Easter bunnies; I have to go take a picture; I hope the owners don't mind. I may have to do a lot of editing; well , the dogs are happy now - they're no longer barking 'cause  they are outside. I bet the neighbors are happy. I see a woman rescue worker walking out so I guess everybody is OK  - she's getting in the truck.

I really would have liked to have bought that house; I love the style of it. Another house, right next door, is being constructed - you can smell the lumber. looks like it's gonna be a nice house- I'll come back and check it out later; maybe starting from scratch? Well, I think I'm going to make a right turn and walk down the street unless there's a hill . I don't much feel like a hill at the moment; looks pretty flat so I'm going to go home and see how many steps I have now at 4:45 - 4987 . Probably by the time I get home it'll be over 5K for sure and most of the copy for my post, done too. This* is cool I'll have to do this more often.

Oh the birds are tweeting, tweeting, tweeting.  I hear more music; more porch fest, I bet! Yep!   Big crowd at the Public Option - they sell beer and have outdoor seating; music is not my taste. Apartment construction is everywhere. Land in the District at a premium and so if it's not claimed it will soon be. Houses are being flipped; apartment buildings renovated; empty lots  become new apartment buildings.  

Not too far from home  - one more traffic light and then I'll be headed on my trajectory to the house.  Am I  gonna make it across here before the light changes?  If I hurry and walk fast the answer is probably yes. Made it with time to spare  - about 10 seconds left. One last check of the Fitbit when I get to the door and then I will go get something to drink, go upstairs and polish up this post. This is one that will go in my A to Z  #the100dayproject story file. First, I need to complete my profile on Instagram.  Should be easy -  hundreds of thousands of people are doing it all the time. Yeah, I want to get a picture of the curtains on this apartment's balcony - nice!  

5777 steps , the reading on Fitbit. I'm home! "

Cheers~

*Today, I decided to write my post by speaking into the microphone, using the Pages app on my iPhone, as I walked. I edited the post down from about 850 words to 673.

simply a moment |15 march 2017

 

 

 3:15 pm        Miscellaneous thoughts rumbling around my mind: 

        The day has been very windy and cold - currently there is a snow flurry squall ...clearly, this has been/is a PJ Day and one whose flag I've  saluted...

Norman slept in later than usual today; it seems that our get up and go has gone for both of us... right now, he's watching cnbc (stock market chatter) in between switching back and forth between TCM and on HBO: The Road to Perdition which we just saw about a week ago...

My quilt group's biennial quilt show is about six weeks away and I have a few items to make for the sew unique novelty gift items shop, like the tea wallets I made in 2015. I have this idea for a combo tea wallet and mug rug item...looking for a pattern online; found one!...

These words on decision-making resonated with me today: I can waste hours (days at times for me) on decision making ... does that happen to you too? I have so many windows open on my computer...I need to bookmark them or close out...and I also need to get a large backup HD... I think...Those decisions, mind you, are not earth shattering at all! More: Do I want to do this today... or that? Do this this way... or that? Who said "not to decide is to decide ?"

We received no mail yesterday; we thought perhaps due to the weather. The mail carrier just delivered a package and a charity solicitation letter. I'm guessing that we didn't have any mail yesterday based on today's volume. The package is full of surprises...something I ordered and I will save its contents for next Monday's Memos, Mail Me post!

The afternoon is rapidly coming to a close and so shall this post. I think I shall take a sneak peak at my package...for starters, it's wrapped in yellow tissue...to be continued.

Tomorrow the weather forecast is for warmer temps and sunshine! I hope so! 

Cheers~

 

Simply A Moment is a meme I've posted to this blog on or around the 15th of the month  since September 2012.

  

 

simply a moment |15 february 2017

 15  february  2017  circa 2:15 pm

 

          I was sitting at the table - where I'd been parked all day...reading, writing, organizing my thoughts, thinking about tomorrow's ThinkWrite Thursday post and a zillion other things. In the background, both the washer and dryer going; the double white sink filled with bleach water - I  do that periodically just to keep the sinks and sink mat bright and shiny.  

On the table: books, notes, pens, my iPad and phone and a variety of differing sized pieces of paper. I'd just fixed my lunch: apple, a slice each of Teriyaki chicken luncheon meat and yellow Vermont cheese; and resumed listening to Ali Edwards' monthly Story Kit presentation. Norman comes up from his "cave" to fix some lunch...cream of wheat and peaches. The phone rings and I answer: Mary Jane, a long-time friend who I'd not talked to in too long, calling. She recently retired right before Christmas, spent the holiday in South Carolina and upon returning home, down for the count with that crazy flu that I and countless others have had.

We have quite a history, spanning several decades. She worked in adult continuing education at the community college where, once upon a time, I taught a class on proposal writing. We talked about 45 minutes and planned to meet for lunch - hopefully the weather will cooperate, get warmer and we can schedule our rendezvous sooner rather than later. 

One never knows what surprises a day will bring...but I'll take connecting with longtime friends any day of the week.  I first met Mary Jane when the college, the public library system (where I worked) and other non-profit and governmental agencies gathered to plan/sponsor a women's fair. It occurs to me as I am wrapping up the post that it's rather ironic that we connected today: the theme for this month's Story Kit theme is bond as in connection. 

Cheers~

 

simply a moment |15 january 2017

sunday 15 january 2017        1:15 pm  friendstitchin'

         Simply*A*Moment is the time on the 15th of each month when I stop, pause to document the moments: what I see, hear, smell, touch, feel, remember. Today was also Friendstitchin' Sunday, my monthly gathering with three friends, occasionally we're five, that I share on the blog. I don't believe the two monthly events have ever fallen on the same day...and today, I invited my friends, Pat, Margaret and Theresa to join me in documenting the moment...

I wrote:  "Spread before me, my friends and our stitichin' projects. A sound interrupts - Theresa asks:"Is that your phone? Oh, no, it's mine" as she gets up to answer. (Theresa wasn't familiar with her new (rose gold) iPhone's ring tone. )  Each of us is writing- fun to hear the sound of our pens - and I am also taking photos. A sunny day; a different vista for Simply * A* Moment...so good of my friends to indulge me and join in with this exercise..."

Margaret: "Lunch was really good! Nice sunny day. Got some good feedback in the "Creation series" project. Now working on the needlepoint dogs and hoping the Schnauzer doesn't make me nuts. Looking forward to another wonderful afternoon with my stitching friends! This is always one of the highlights of my week when we get together like this. GOOD TIMES! So Blessed to have this!"

Pat: "This is what life is all about! Family and friends together - relaxing, sharing - just being with each other and doing what we enjoy.  Discussing projects - new and finished as well as some that might be. Simply being in the moment, enjoying and thanking God for this time together!"

Theresa: "The yarn is fuzzy and fuzz is flying through the sunlight. My dining room table is littered with unfinished projects and ideas. A mysterious sound interrupts my writing. Just my sister. Will call back later. Been wondering how long it will take me to finish this sweater. It's nice to have everyone over. Makes me feel homey. "

I also wrote: "Margaret just finished and hands me her card...she's back to her needlepoint. Pat's still penning hers...finished, she hands me hers...Theresa finishes up too and resumes her knitting. Pat's stitching the binding on her Flower Pot quilt...we both started our flower quilts at the same time - hers is almost done...mine is almost almost..."

 1:22 pm. Thanks, my friends for all the memorable hours, over the years we've spent together: laughin', eatin' delcious food, stitchin, enjoying one another's company. We are indeed blessed. See you next month!

Cheers~

 

 

 

simply a moment | 15 december 2016

             15 december 2016        12:15 pm        25 degrees Fahrenheit        wnw 20mph        sunny

 

        This is a real PJ Day: sunny, albeit c-o-l-d; windy; the 20 mph winds make it feel like 9 degrees F. In the background, seasonal music. Yesterday was tiring, beginning with an 8 am doctor's appointment; a late breakfast at IKEA (my 3rd in less than 2 weeks?) and then, a trip to Columbia - 35 miles and my second in as many days, to meet up with a friend and former VA (virtual assistant), Laura from FL. She was in town for the ending session of the library staff training program I coordinated before I retired in 2010. 

We decided to go to Barnes & Noble to browse, relax and chat and then to Panera for a light supper. Afterwards, I dropped her off at her hotel and drove the 35 miles home, arriving about 8:30 pm. Long, long day.

This morning I've sat and spent the day , thus far,

• resting my weary bones; 
• catching up on email and blog reading; 
• writing my thoughts; 
• making lists;
• listening to the wind blow and the mad tinkle of the wind chimes.

In my journal, I write I am grateful for

• my warm home;
• food in the 'frig;
• two nickels to rub together - one which I'll give to charity; and
• memories tapped by the sounds of Silver Bells...

And as the wind swells and crescendos, I note as I'm typing this draft that Sydney Australia is suffering its hottest December night in recorded history! Go figure! 

Cheers~